Former World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight champion Fatuma Zarika will challenge Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) super featherweight champion Kirsty Hill of Britain next month.
Zarika, 40, set up an explosive rematch against Hill on Friday after she beat Tanzanian Halima Vunajebi via unanimous decision in a CBC super featherweight elimination fight staged at MassHouse in Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi.
Former Africa Boxing Union (ABU) middleweight champion Rayton Okwiri knocked out Uganda’s Muhamad Sebyala in the third round of the scheduled eight-round middleweight CBC elimination bout.
Middleweight boxer Rayton Okwiri works out at AV Fitness gym at Kileleshwa, Nairobi on February 21, 2023.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Okwiri will now challenge CBC middleweight champion Briton George Liddard. The fights were organised by Kalakoda Promotions.
Kalakoda Promotions chairman Saul Loggenberg, who facilitated the CBC eliminators, said that Zarika and Okwiri will challenge the CBC champions on January 30, next year, in Nairobi.
Zarika lost to Hill in a split decision to lose the CBC title 20 months ago at Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England.
Former World Boxing Council (WBC) super bantamweight champion Fatuma Zarika (left) is declared the winner against Halima Vunajebi of Tanzania in a super featherweight elimination fight on November 21, 2025 at at MassHouse, Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi.
Photo credit: Pool
“I believe I won the contest, but one judge thought otherwise. I took it in stride but this presented another opportunity to set the record straight. I am glad it could be here at home,” Zarika, who stretched his record to 51 bouts of 35 wins, 14 losses and two draws (34-14-2), said. Zarika, who tactically put her blows to good use on Friday night, acknowledged that Vunajebi was a hard nut to crack, especially in the first three rounds of their eight-round bout.
“She proved stubborn, absorbing solid strikes. She kept on moving but kept her at bay with jabs,” said Zarika.
“I have a game plan for Hill, and it will be ruthless for any judge to think otherwise,” she added.
Zarika made history as the first African woman to win a WBC title when she beat Jamaican Alicia Ashley in a split decision to claim the super bantamweight title on October 1, 2016.
Zarika then staged a successful defence of her title, beating Catherine Phiri twice in a unanimous decision on December 2, 2017 and March 23, 2019. Zarika then beat Yamileth Mercado from Mexico on a split decision on September 8, 2018, in Nairobi. But Mercado exacted her revenge on Zarika back at home, winning by unanimous decision against Zarika on November 16, 2019.
Okwiri, 39, improved his record to 12 wins, a loss and a draw while his next opponent, Liddard, 23, is undefeated in 13 fights. He took the CBC belt on October 17, 2025, after defeating Kieron Conway in a 10th-round technical knockout.
World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Super Featherweight champion Fatuma Zarika during her interview on Sport On! at Nation Centre on November 20, 2023.
Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group
Victory for Zarika against Hill will see her line up for the WBC world title, while Okwiri could take a shot at the WBC silver title, which is the pathway to the WBC world title. Okwiri won the ABU title in 2019 but relinquished it when he opted to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
He failed in his quest for the IBF international super welterweight title in 2022, losing to Congolese Emmany Kalombo in the seventh round. He fought last in September last year in Mauritius, beating Freeman Mabvongwe of Zimbabwe.
In other results, Kenya's Joshua Wasike knocked out Shabani Kaoneka from Tanzania in the cruiserweight.
Jamie Devine ( super featherweight)and Letjani Lucas (featherweight), all from the United Kingdom, chalked up unanimous decisions against Christopher Asicho from Kenya and Tanzania's Omary Matimbwa, respectively.
